MEET THE MAKER

Anna Jacobi takes abandoned oars and gives them a second life as treasured artworks WORDS SHANDELLE BATTERSBY

Anna Jacobi gives abandoned oars a new lease on life.

Abattered oar washed up on the beach near a family bach on Waiheke Island a decade ago became the first in an ongoing series of distinctive artworks for artist Anna Jacobi. With a loose brief of “nautical” she used images of a sailor’s compass, an anchor and fish to decoupage the oar, which still hangs on the wall at the bach today.

Anna, who juggles her art commissions with a part-time role in the family importing business, also applies her work to tōtara fence battens and other objects. She favours muted, natural tones inspired by interiors magazines and the world around her: “I get my inspiration from nature, observing natural colours such as the shades of the earth, branches, flowers, sand, shells, seaweed, fish, hues from the sea and so on.” The oar artworks, which can be displayed vertically or horizontally, indoors or out, are made using a mixture of papers, patterns, textures, prints, paint, twine and jute. While an artwork can be created from any oar, its shape and size must suit the space and the design needs to be carefully considered against the environment in which it will sit. And finding the right oar can take time.

“I often fossick around boat yards, antique shops, hospice stores and secondhand shops,” she says. “Each work is unique just like the wood itself, with its own imperfect characteristics, grains and charm.” See Anna’s work on Facebook by searching Anna Jacobi Art.